Wednesday, January 28, 2015

This week, I have been mostly... shopping

Well if I'm ever going to get this new engine built, I'm going to need to buy a few bits. I did have a number of spare parts kicking about from the spare engines I have dismantled, but when it comes to things such as the water pump and the oil pump, they're so cheap, it's seems crazy to put the old ones back on.

First trip was to Mini Sport ...

Mini Sport
The main reason for going to Mini Sport was because they were having a sale, and I like a bargain! Even better, they have an exchange offer on camshafts. That is, bring your old one and get even more money off. That's my kind of deal. Back in this post here, I was undecided whether or not to go for a new cam, but with the trade in and the sale, it was just too tempting.

Unfortunately they don't make the standard factory fitted camshafts for my car anymore, so a straight swap wasn't possible. Of the camshafts that were on offer, I didn't really know which to go for, so I went with advice and got the 'ST510 Mini Sport Camshaft - Mild Road - CA1'.

I also got a new set of cam followers.

Clutch next... and when I examined the clutch I had it was pretty obvious it was shot, so I took advantage of the sale and got a new clutch kit. Unfortunately Mini Sport don't sell the centre boss I needed so I'm going to have to go elsewhere for that.

The last thing I needed was a new head gasket, so I grabbed one of those too.

So that's some of the things I needed ticked off my shopping list. Now for the things I didn't need! As they were having a sale and I was in the spending mood, I also picked up a Stage 1 tuning kit. It's been something I have been meaning to get for ages and it just seemed like the right time.

Mini Spares
A week later there was a further boot-load of 'mini parts' joy as I made a trip to Mini Spares North. The main reason for going there was to get the centre boss I so badly needed.

Obviously it would be rude to leave with just one item, so while I was there I also picked up a new water pump, an oil pump (plus gasket), a stub stack and some Torco Engine Assembly Lube.

So now I have most of the major items I need to complete the engine build. I have held off buying a fuel pump as I am not sure whether to stick with the traditional mechanical pump, or to upgrade to an electric pump. Also I'm not sure yet whether to go for a single or a duplex timing chain, so that's to think about also.

There is mountain of work to get through before I need to make those decisions, so I'll ponder on it a little more when I need to.